Knife.



M. J. SCHLESS.

KNIFE.

APPLICATION HLED SEPT. 25. 1915.

l, 18%,043 Patented May 9,1916.

' Inventor:

Atty

MAURICE J. SCI-ILESS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO SCHLESS, BROD 8t 00;, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A FIRM COMPOSE'D OF MAURICE J. SCHLESS, ALBERT BBOD,

AND OSCAR J. BROD.

KNIFE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentedlllfay a, rare.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAURICE J. ScHLnss, a citizen ofthe United States of America, residing at New York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knives, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in cutlery, and as it is especially applicable to ornamental pocket knives, it will be described in that connection. It will be understood that the invention may be applied to other articles than knives, such as forks, combination sets, and the like.

Pocket knives are'now on the market in which the side plates-of the handle are covered with gold or other precious metal. In the manufacture of such knives, the present practice is to first cover the side plates of the handle with the desired ornamental metal, then assemble the blades in the handle, and finally drive the rivets through the handle and blades to complete the article. This practice has several serious disadvantages. In driving the rivets'through the usually thin coveringof gold,the latter is apt to be injured, often spoiling the appearance of the knife, and at times rendering the gold covering useless. Again, in a knife constructed as above described, if a blade is broken or injured, and requires to be replaced or repaired, it is necessary to force out the rivets (which serve largely to hold the gold in place) remove the gold from the side plates, disassemble the structure, replace the broken blade, then put the gold back in position, and finallydrive the rivets back into the ends of the knife. Repair work of this kind is almost as expensive as the initial cost of the knife, and consequently the owners of broken or injured knives hesitate to have the same repaired.

With the foregoing in'view, the principal object of my invention is to provide a knife structure, capable of being provided with a precious metal covering for the handle plates, which is so devi'sed that the knife may be quickly assembled and disassembled with the aid of simple tools, and in which all injury to the gold or otherprecious metal covering is obviated. I

A further object is to provide means,

other than the usual rivets, for retaining the. I

gold covering firmly in position on the handle plates, anddispensing with the need for its removal in case the knife is repaired, or disassembled for any other purpose.

A still further object is to provide a novel arrangement of spring, conducing to simplicity of construction and handling the parts of the knife in assembling and disassembling the same.

Other objects of my invention, and its detail structure and operation, will be fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in, Wl1iCl1 Figure l is a side elevational view of a pocket knife embodying my invention, the gold covering on one side of the handle being indicated as broken away; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view, on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, lookingin the direction of thearrows; Fig. 8 is a side elevational view of a fragment of a handle plate, showing on a somewhat enlarged scale the slot near the end of the plate; Fig. 4- is a similar view of a knife with one of the handle plates and one of the blades omitted; Fig. 5 is an elevational view of a spring bail which I, may employ at either end of the knife; Fig. 6 is a similar view of the partsof a hollow rivet which I preferably use to hold the blades and handle plates assembled; Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional View of the assembled hollow rivet; and Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrativeof an angular undercut groove in the handle plates for anchoring the edge ofthe gold covering of the handle.

Referring to the drawing by reference characters. 10 denotes the side plates of the handle. Each side plate has formed on its inner face an undercut, angular, groove 11 'which extends entirely around the plate a short distance in from its edge. This groove has the function of receiving and anchoring the marginal edges of the gold covering 12 for the handle. This covering is in the form of a relatively thin sheet of gold, which is drawn smoothly over the outer face of the handle plate-10, and its marginal edges are then turned over or upsetand stamped or otherwise forced into the grooves 11 so as to be firmly anchored therein.

Each plate 10 is provided near each of its the slot portion 13 is of a greater diameter than at any other point, and when the pivot,

shown in Figs. 6 and 7 and hereinafter fully described is in the portion 13 this pivot maybe withdrawn from engagement with the handle plate. The walls of the balance :of the slot are undercut as at 13*, and thus not only form a guide and support for the pivot during its movement in the slot, but

also act to prevent withdrawal of the pivot from the handle when the pivot is in the slot portion 13, or at any other part than 13 I have found it most convenient, in practice, to employ a pivot for the knife blades such as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. This pivot embodies ahollow hub number 1 1, having an integral annular flange 15 at one end and an integral reduced neck portion 16 at its opposite end. Below the neck is a shoulder 17' designed to support a second flange 18 which is clamped to the pivot by upsetting the neck 16 over the upper face of the flange 18, as shown i117. It will of course be un- ,derstood that each blade has an orifice in its shaft through which the hub 14 passes and which serves as a pivot about which the blade may revolve. The blades are of any approved construction.

Ornamental knlves of the character con- Y templated by this invention are frequently attached to watch chains, and to facilitate attachment of the knife I may provide the latter with a bail 20 (Fig. 5), made of suitable spring metal, gold plated or otherwise, and having the inturned ends 20 designed to be sprung into and removed from the 0pposite open ends of the pivot;

The spring which I preferably employ is denoted 21"(Fig. 4L), and is of sufiicient length to have its opposite ends press against the shafts of the knife blades 19.

The spring has a central enlargement 21 in which is rigidly secured a stud 22 projecting -beyond both lateral faces of the spring 21.

plates knife yention is assembled as follows .I t is as- The opposite ends of this stud enter suitable orifices formed near the center of the lower 21 ism-gamm slightly shorter than the edge in each handle plate 10. The spring p .10 and stops short of each end of the tte Q embodying the features of my inwith the gold sheet 12 and the edges of the latter anchored in the groove 11, and also that the pivots have been passed through the holes in the blades and the flanges 18 secured to the hub 14. One plate 10 is laid flat on a support and the spring 21 placed in position by passing the stud 22 through the orifice in that plate. Then either the flanges 15 or 18, it is immaterial which, are passed through the portions 18" of the slots 13, the blades being in the opened out position. Thereafter the other handle plate 10 issuperimposed on the blades so that its slot portions 13' exactlycoincide with the flange 15 or 18, as the case may be. are then drawn toward the ends 13 of the slots 13 and during this operation the flanges 15 and, 18 will ride on the undercut walls 13 and be prevented from lateral move- The blades 19 ,sumed that the handle plates 10 are covered 7 ment. lVhen the pivots reach the slot por- -ti0ns 13" the knife is completely assembled,

the blades being capable of free opening or closing movement, as desired. If it be desired to provide the knife with the bail shown in Fig. 5, the gold cover 12 on opposite handle plates at one end. of the knife, in

portions alined with the openings in one of the .hubs 1 1 is pierced with a clean cut hole, and the ends 20 of the bail spring lnto the hub. It will be noted that the entire struc- 1 ture is held in assembled position by coaction of the flanges 15'and 18 with the undercut walls 13" of the slot 13.

' To disassemble the knife, for the removal of an old blade and the insertion of a new, or for any other purpose, the procedure is as follows :First, remove the'bail 20 by spreading its arms apart, and then, by means of any suitable tool, draw or force the. blades inwardly toward. each other,

until the pivotsof the blades coincide with the slot portions 13*. In this position of the parts it is simply necessary to lift one or the other handle plate 10 and all-the parts may be separated. In thus disassembling the knife the gold sheathing 12 is neither disturbed nor injured, and all the rivets and pivots come out withthe parts to which they are operatively related. As a result of my invention the knife may be originally pro'ducedfat' a lower cost than heretofore; the article is usually of better and more finished appearance; and the'cost of repairs .is greatly reduced.

'W'hat I claim as'new and desire to'secure by Letters Patent is ';1. As an article-of' manufacture, a knife comprising independent handle plates each having an angular slot adjacent an end thereof, a pivot'pass ng through and movable along. said slots, means carried by said p1vot and engageable Wlth and disengagegether or freed from each other, a blade carried by said pivot, and means connecting the other ends of said plates together.

2. As an article of manufacture, aknife comprising independent handle plates each having angular slots at its opposite ends, pivots passing through and movable along said slots, heads carried by said pivots and engageable with and disengageable from the Walls of said slots whereby said handle plates may be connected together or freed from each other, and blades carried by said pivots.

8. As an article of manufacture, a knife comprising independent handle plates each having elongated angular slots at its opposite ends, pivots passing through and movable along said slots, means carried by said pivots and engageable with and disengageable from the -walls of said slots whereby said handle plates may be connected together or freed from each other, and blades carried by said pivots.

4:. As an article of manufacture a knife comprising independent handle plates each having angular slots with undercut walls at opposite ends thereof, pivots passing through and movable along said slots,heads carried by said pivots and engageable with and disengageable from the undercut walls of said slots, and blades carried by said pivots.

5. As an article of manufacture, a knife comprising independent handle plates each having adjacent each of its ends a slot widened at one end thereof, pivots passing through and movable along said slots, heads carried by said pivots and removable through the widened ends of said slots, and blades carried by said pivots.

6. As an article of manufacture, a knife comprising a handle having near one end thereof an angular slot with undercut walls, saidslot being wider at one end than at any other portion thereof, a pivot having an enlarged head, said head vbeing removable through the enlarged end of said slot and capable of riding on the undercut walls of and having its marginal edges anchored in the undercut groove in such plate, and blades carried by the pivots.

In the testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MAURICE J. SCHLESS. WVitnesses:

OLARIOE FRANCE, JUDITH PARDEE.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 01' Patents. 4.

' Washington, D. O. 

